Bellerose says chiefs standing together gives AFN strength – Windspeaker.com
November 20th, 2023
“The children and youth, they need the best Mother Earth that we can leave them. They need the best education, the best health. They should not be given less.” —candidate for AFN national chief Reginald Bellerose
“Unfinished business” is one reason why Reginald Bellerose decided to take another run at the position of national chief for the Assembly of First Nations, having conceded following the fifth ballot in 2021 to RoseAnne Archibald.
“These are tough roles, right? So there’s a spiritual process you need to take because…it all comes down to the individual. You need to be in a good spot in your own life. You need to be healthy. You know that spiritual health, all the health factors,” he said.
Bellerose believes his strongest asset for the position comes through his voice.
He says some chiefs are successful on their own, able to access help and the resources they need by themselves. He won’t stand in their way and, if he can, he’ll clear the way for them.
And for the chiefs who don’t feel their voices are being heard federally or provincially and who reach out to him for help, he’ll do just that.
